As a PC gamer, I am having a mixed bag reaction with this news on Origin. Digital distribution is in the midst of revolutionizing the way games are distributed and played on PC, completely cutting out the need for brick and mortar shop with a packaged product by delivering your gaming content directly to your household over the Internet. You don't have to browse through stores for the last copy of a popular title, the game is conveniently located in a browser that you can buy and download in a few mouse clicks. It is making PC gaming much more accessible than in the past. Origin adding extra games to their library adds competition to the scene, it forces prime digital retailers like Direct2Drive or Steam to give out better deals and improve their service. It can only help me as a consumer trying to get the best bang for my buck.
On the other hand though, there is some potential downside. EA's Origin has caused some conflict with Valve and it's Steam service. Steam's estimated 40 million users have seen Crysis 2 and Dragon Age 2 disappear from the store over night, while Battlefield 3 and Star Wars The Old Republic have already been confirmed to not be receiving a release on the platform from EA. The "4 million" installs that Eric Brown claims seems less to do with the service flourishing and rather because EA is essentially trying to power play you into using it's client now with the promise of content later. Ironically, I see this as discouraging to the whole digital distribution market. If EA can get 4 million people to download it's Origin because its the only way to get their games, why wouldn't other companies do the same? I could easily see Activision make it's own service to distribute Call of Duty or Ubisoft for Assassin's Creed if they get to control their product more and receive a larger chunk of the sales. It's a worst case scenario that could prevent me from getting good deals, as a gamer it would splinter up the large communities that surround streamlined programs like Steam, and it would make digital downloads more of a hassle managing multiple accounts and programs to get the games I want.
Maybe everything works out and Origin seamlessly co-exists with other services that are out there. Maybe it burns and crashes when it can't sell more than the exclusive games it offers. Maybe it is a sign of things to come and the end of the market as we know it. I am content with my gaming cloud on Steam, but I'm willing to see what Origin has to offer and any other distribution services that may be in the works if it enhances my gaming experience. It's something I'll be keeping a close eye on as we get closer to the launch of the holiday season. What do you think of EA's move into the digital market? Sound off below!
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